September 29th, 2009
admin
Could it cost more for an Australian company to raise capital on the global markets because Australian accounting rule makers are not moving swiftly enough to convert to international accounting standards?
The scenario of Australian corporate funding costs rising because our accounting standards are out of line with those of some other countries might become reality, says PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Jan McCahey, if urgent steps are not taken to bring Australian accounting requirements in line with those of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
McCahey, one of Australia’s pre-eminent financial reporting experts, believes the domestic accounting standard setter, the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), needs to move more quickly to ensure there are as few differences as possible between the international accounting standards framework and the domestic literature.
Otherwise, notes McCahey, Australia and its business community will continue to lag behind international developments and be unable to keep in step with the rapid-fire pace at which the London-based standard setter is moving. Read more…
Positive accounting theory (PAT) is a general term for any theory that provides descriptive information regarding the behavior of accountants. The title has been used by Watts and Zimmerman and this is largely an expansion of previous studies carried out firstly by Fama and later by Ball & Brown in the 1960’s. In looking at the apparent acceptance by politicians, firms and wide publication in academic journals PAT could easily be mistaken as being a success. A deeper analysis of the premises of PAT, its questionable scientific status, and the groups upon whom this theory has appealed to would suggest that it is flawed on many levels and is little more than an argument for deregulation and market capitalism. This opposes its claim to be a useful theory used regularly by those concerned with the effects of accounting policy on the status of the firm.
The Premises of Positive Accounting Theory
Positive Accounting Theory finds its roots with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). The EMH was developed by Fama in the 1960’s and is based on economic principles and assumes a perfect market where there is information symmetry and no transaction costs. The semi strong form of EMH argues that capital markets will reflect all information that is publicly available and it is this form that Watts and Zimmerman claim to be predominant. Read more…
“You can’t do business globally and use provincial accounting standards.” This quote from a member of a German bank’s Managing Board reflects the concerns being expressed by institutions from many countries that are united in the IASC (International Accounting Standards Committee). In a world of global enterprises and global capital markets, where people can access the information they need anywhere in the world online and on time, the biggest problem is a lack of transparency and comparability of information. The main objective of International Accounting Standards (IASs) is therefore to provide a global standard for drawing up annual financial statements in line with the general aims mentioned above.
In addition to the international focus of these standards, they aim to ensure that investors can compare data extensively by reporting period and company and thus obtain a sound basis on which to make their decisions. This is why the basic principle behind the IASs is that of providing a true and fair view and of fair
presentation. Read more…
The central focus of this essay will be on the legal principle of pre-registration contracts. As the definition of pre-registration contracts ( in legal terms) suggests, they are the kind of contracts that are intentionally entered into, on the behalf of a company that is not yet registered. In pre-registration contracts, a person that enters into an agreement on the behalf of an unincorporated company, is known as a promoter. A promoter is the person who intends to or will generate profit from the formation or the financing as a company. This means that if a pre-registered company enters into a contract, the promoter is entitled to the benefits and incur personal liability from that contract. Therefore, this has led to the introduction of Section 131 of the corporations act. This provides a different and modern view of pre-registration contracts compared to its common law definition. Accordingly, this will lead to a discussion of the common law view of pre-registration contracts and the definition that is provided by Section 131. A large emphasis will also be placed on the role of promoters and companies as well as third parties that are involved in this particular area of law. Pre-registration contracts are now highly uncommon, due to the consequences involved, as this essay will reveal. Read more…
